The spring rain last night brought much chill, and the spring-filled Mengshe River seemed to fall into a distant winter overnight, with cold spreading across the entire land. But the warmth sown by the spring breeze in previous days was unwilling to retreat easily. The two forces, neither yielding, restrained each other, each vying for dominion over this land, giving us the opportunity to witness this once-a-year cloud sea spectacle over Mengshe River. After three or four hours of contest, sunlight finally pierced through the thinning clouds, illuminating every corner, and the chill completely receded.
We drove through the thick fog straight to Ganlu Pavilion in Weibao Mountain. Standing under the ancient banyan tree in front of Ganlu Pavilion, we could ascend above the clouds and overlook the ever-changing, misty cloud sea wonder at the southern end of Weishan Basin.
As the altitude rose, the fog before us gradually thinned, and our view expanded from a few zhang to dozens of li. Fengchuan Tower, standing on the ridge at the southern end of Weishan Basin, appeared faintly in the clouds. A wisp of flowing cloud wrapped around the base of Fengchuan Tower, adding a touch of liveliness to this ancient tower that had stood for centuries, as if it could fly above the clouds.
The cloud sea surged over the basin, sometimes like ten thousand horses galloping, sometimes like still water flowing deep. The distant mountains appeared faintly in the cloud sea, like a Penglai fairyland. The sun had not yet shown its face, but the edges of the cloud sea were already tinged with a faint golden rim, as if outlined by heaven with gold powder.
Under the light, silent mist, ordinary things usually exposed under the clear sun became extraordinarily mysterious and stunning. Whether the quiet villages, the clear Huanglizui Reservoir, or the common trees in the mountains, all became existences in a fairyland, enticing one to wander and linger.
On the way from Weibao Mountain Road to Fengchuan Tower, we encountered a "unique" mist—an illusion created by countless crystal-clear water droplets lingering on wheat ears. The water droplets, numerous as stars, firmly adhered to the tips of wheat, and the clustered wheat tips seemed to be tinged with an ethereal white, indistinguishable from the mist filling the sky and earth. This was the wheat field's own mist, in which wildflowers and grasses grew joyfully, warm and smooth as jade.
When we walked from the parking lot of Wengjiayakou Village onto a narrow mountain path leading to Fengchuan Tower, the entire village was still shrouded in light mist, not very clear. The forest path was damp, cold, and dark—this was the world of clouds and mist. Soon, we trampled this world underfoot and ascended to another, completely different world above, where it was bright, warm, and infinitely close to vastness—the world above the clouds.
I leaned against the mottled brick wall of the ancient tower, feeling the coolness from the bricks. The shadow of Fengchuan Tower shortened under the rising sun. I climbed onto the tower base, stepped out of the shadow, and the bricks of the tower glowed with warm luster in the sunlight. Standing under Fengchuan Tower, watching this magnificent cloud sea, my heart still echoed with the shock just experienced. This ancient tower had witnessed countless such mornings, standing quietly here, guarding this land and this beauty.
As the sun rose higher, the cloud sea began to dissipate. The clouds and mist were gently brushed away by an invisible hand, revealing the fields and villages in the basin. Rapeseed flower fields glowed golden in the morning light, wheat fields showed fresh green, and crisscrossing ridges divided the land into irregular geometric patterns. Weibao Mountain in the distance was clearly visible, and Ganlu Pavilion on the mountainside sparkled in the sunlight.
I stood for a long time, watching this spectacular cloud sea slowly recede. Weishan Basin in the morning light gradually awakened, with roosters crowing and dogs barking in succession—a new day began. The once-a-year cloud sea spectacle over Mengshe River is the most touching gift nature bestows upon Weishan, adding a touch of fairy spirit to this land and captivating every witness. At this moment when the cloud sea dissipated, I seemed to touch the pulse of heaven and earth and feel the flow of time.
